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Technology Lifestyle Third world children to eventually get one laptop each
Technology Lifestyle Third world children to eventually get one laptop each | Third world children to eventually get one laptop each |
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| by Alex Zaharov-Reutt | |
| Monday, 20 November 2006 | |
  
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Designed as rugged machines with a handle, they feature Wi-Fi connections, a speaker and microphone, a webcam, a screen that can easily seen in the sun and come with 128MB of memory, 512MB of storage and run on the free Linux OS. A crank that was meant to deliver power has been eliminated from the final design, needing a power infrastructure - a notable omission from the prototype models that might reduce the device's usefulness it Third World countries somewhat. Rubbished by Bill Gates and Intel as 'gadgets', saying people in poor countries are saving up to buy the same kind of computer we use in the West, the project has nevertheless received support from Google, Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation and other companies wanting to help the project succeed. Designed by a Taiwanese laptop manufacturer, the first 10 hand-built models were produced at a cost of $150 each, with the next run in 2007 to produce another 900, with millions more to come. With these massive volumes to come, the US $100 per laptop cost is predicted to then be reached, with a 2008 timeframe the stated goal. These 10 models are on their way to children who will be pilot testers using the final product. They were also tested at the US Department earlier this week, although exactly why their stamp of approval was needed in unclear. Nevertheless they were tested and passed with flying colours. The next 900 units actually won’t go to children in Third World countries but will go to developers who will create software to run on the laptops, including an ‘instant messenger’ chat program, similar to the ones we use today, so the kids connected via Wi-Fi can easily exchange messages with each other. Other programs will no doubt include word processing, drawing, calculators, other educational programs and a web browser. The governments of Brazil, Argentina, Libya, Nigeria and Thailand have already signed up to the program and have agreed to distribute the laptops through their national educational authorities. Rupert Murdoch has committed to supporting the project for the next four to five years. Intel is also working on a laptop for children, although currently the cost is somewhere nearer US $400, with Negroponte delighted to see others emulating his project. Hopefully the project will be a great success, bring information, access to the Internet, community and better education to Third World peoples, to enable reading and writing, better farming, better healthcare and more. However there are detractors claiming that it is a waste of time, besides Intel and Microsoft. These include US journalist John Dvorak, while an article at The Inquirer goes into great detail on they believe the laptop is a bad idea, claiming the US $150 cost claimed is actually US $208, and with existing manufacturers already selling full Windows (or Linux) powered laptops in the US for US $398, they question how long it will be before HP and Dell are able to drive the cost down to heavily compete with laptops from the 'One Laptop Per Child' project. {moscomment} |
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